Apple's education event just ended, and just as Ars Technica said, Apple announced better support for textbooks, as well as a textbook authoring tool. The textbook authoring tool is heavily inspired by Keynote and Pages, and hence, I already know it's going to be top-notch and very pleasant to use. In addition, the company also repositioned iTunes U as a Blackboard competitor. As great as all these new tools are, several large red flags went up in my mind: I remember what it was like being the only student who didn't use Windows. Update: "Any e-textbook author that wants access to the iPad-toting masses must make his or her work an exclusive to iBooks 2."

""In my view, governments should mandate the use of 100% strictly open formats in schools and universities"

I could not agree more!

Absolutely not! Our education system is not the right platform for the 'everything should be open' cause to be fought. Forcing it would be crippling in many regards and that isn't a wise thing to do to a system that's already under heavy financial and political burden. Our education system is broken but breaking it further is not the solution, especially when the students will be hurt the most.

Education is a business -- even public education. There's a difference between what some may consider to be ideal, and what actually happens & is necessary in the real world. "

You are giving a very US centric view of what education is, luckily many of us live in countries that give an higher value to education.